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indaba nguWALTON GOLIGHTLY
ElaseRome lalingomakhonya ngezikhathi zakudala kodwa konke lokho kwaqedwa ngujenene waseCarthage eNorth Africa…
AKE ucabange nje uma izwe elincane njengeSouth Africa lingahlasela isikhondlakhondla esinjengeMelika – linqobe kuleyo mpi! Uma ungakwenza lokho, uyobe wenza okwenziwa nguHannibal waseCarthage, ujenene wase-Africa owanqoba uMbuso waseRome ezimpini ezintathu igama lakhe elibalwa kwawokhomanda bezimpi abaqavile emlandweni.
ElaseCarthage (noma i “New City”) lasungulwa ngabasePhoenicia ngo-815BC endaweni ebizwa ngeTunisia manje. Ekuqaleni kwe-5th Century BC, eyesithunzi selaseCarthage yayisisabalale kulo lonke ugu lweNorth Africa kusukela kwelaseMorocco kuya emngceleni weGibhithe.
Ngesikhathi sekubusa uHannibal, kwakunamazwe amaningi ayebuswa amanye endaweni eseyibizwa ngeSpain.
Ukusabalala kwalawo mazwe enyakatho ye-Europe kwanqandwa wuMbuso waseRome, owawukhonya ngaleso sikhathi nowawunombutho wezempi owawuqotha imbokodo nesisekelo.
ElaseRome lase like layehlula iCarthage kanti ubaba kaHannibal wayethathise indodana yakhe isifungo sokuthi ingavumi ukuba ngumngani welaseRome ekuphileni kwayo.
U-Hannibal, owazalwa ngo-247BC nogama lakhe lichaza “isithixo esikhonzwa eCarthage, kuthiwa waphendula ngelithi: “Ngiyafunga ukuthi uma sengikhule ngokwanele, ngiyokwenza konke okusemandleni ukunqoba elaseRome.”
Wagcina isifungo sakhe
Esethathe izintambo zokuphatha umbuso wezempi, uHannibal wachitha iminyaka emibili ecabanga amasu okunqoba elaseSpain nokuyinto eyayiqalwe ngubaba wakhe.
Ngo-219BC, wayeselungele ukufeza isifungo sakhe. Wayezozifikela mathupha e-Italy.
Ezinyangeni eziyisithupha esukile kwelaseSpain, wafika endaweni yokugcina eyayiyisithiyo ekufinyeleleni kwakhe eRome – i-Alps, uchunge lwezintaba owawudlula kuzona uma uphikelele kulo mbuso owawuzondwa.
Emasosheni kaHannibal, angu-38 000 ayehamba ngezinyawo, angu-8 000 egibele amahhashi kanti kwakukhona nezindlovu zempi ezingu-37. Ukudlula kwakhe kuma-Alps kwaba yingqopha-mlando ngoba wawungakaze ube khona umbutho owake wakwenza lokho.
Kuthiwa uHannibal walahlekelwa amadoda angu-20 000 kulolo hambo ngoba babebuye bahlaselwe ezinye izizwe, ukubanda kwesimo sezulu nendawo embi ababedlula kuyona.
ElaseRome lashaqeka ngesikhathi selithelekelwa amasosha aseCarthage.
Sebefikile eRome…
U-Hannibal wadla inyakatho ye-Italy. ElaseRome lamangazwa yileso senzo sakhe laqoka ojenene ababili ababezoxazulula leyo nkinga – uCnaeus Servilius, wayezovikela ingxenye yeRome esempumalanga, uGaius Flaminius, avikele esentshonalanga.
U-Hannibal wadlula kalula kuFlaminius kwathi empini eyalandela, elaseRome lahlulwa kwafa noFlaminius.
U-Hannibal wayesezicanasela eRome kodwa kwakumhlupha ukuthi wayeshoda ngezikhali namadoda ayezodla idolobha. Wagcina esedle indawo emaphakathi neseningizimu ye-Italy.
“Angizelanga ukuzolwa nabase-Italy” kusho yena, “kodwa ngilwela ukubatakula kwelaseRome.”
Iqhinga likaFabius
ElaseRome laqoka ujenene owayenguQuintus Fabius Maximus owayezobhekana noHannibal.
Akalusebenzisanga uhlelo lokubhekana ngqo nesitha kodwa watshala amasosha ambalwa eRome lapho kwakukanise khona uHannibal ukuze angacanasi ngokukhululeka.
Kwathi uma uHannibal ethola ukuthi amasosha akhe athanda ukuphelelwa amandla, wahlasela iCampania, esinye sezifundazwe ezinothile e-Italy enethemba lokuthi lokho kuzomsondeza eduze kwakhe uFabius. Lelo qhinga lakhe alisebenzanga.
UHannibal wayefuna ukuthuthela enyakatho ye-Italy bungakangeni ubusika kodwa uFabius wenza isiqiniseko sokuthi kugadwe zonke izintuba ayengadlula kuzona.
Eseyithole kahle intuba ayezophuma ngayo uHannibal, wabophela amathoshi akhanyayo ezimpondweni zezinkomo zakhe. Kwathi lapho sekuhwalele, amasosha aseRome ayegade lapho acabanga ukuthi izinkomo zazingamasosha aseCarthage. Alandela lezo zinkomo kanti lokho kwanika uHannibal ithuba lokuba adlule lapho kwakukanise khona awaseRome.
Baziphephisa ngalolo hlobo emakhazeni asebusika kanti eRome uFabius wabizwa ngegwala waphucwa isikhundla sakhe.
Ukunqotshwa kweRome
Ngesikhathi somkhankaso ka-216 BC, uHannibal wadla idolobha laseCannae. ElaseRome lathumela amasosha amaningi kwahlaselwa uHannibal – kwakungamadoda ayengu-100 000. Impi yaseCannae, yaphela sekufe angu-70 000.
ElaseRome laliqala ukwehlulwa ngalolo hlobo emlandweni kanti leyo kwaba yimpi okwagobhoza igazi kuyona kakhulu njengoba bebaningi abalahlekelwa yimiphefumulo yabo.
ElaseRome labuyela ezinhlelweni zokuhlasela ezazisetshenziswa nguFabius nezazibonakala ziyikhambi lokunqoba uHannibal.
Babengafuni ukuba uHannibal asuke emehlweni abo, belwa uma izinto zivuna bona kuphela kanti balwa naye ngokumbulala ngendlala kunokubhekana naye empini.
Ukuphendula kweRome
Ngesikhathi uHannibal elwa neRome, eCarthage kwasekunenhlangano eyayilwela ukuthula kangangoba impi kaHannibal yayingafunwa muntu. Amathemba okuba agcine eyinqobe ngokuphelele le mpi aphela.
“ElaseRome lalilokhu lihleli ezithendeni zikaHannibal owayesefana nebhubesi elilimele,” kusho uLeonard Cottrell ongusomlando.
“Kwakuthi uma ibhubesi elinguHannibal libhekana nesitha, sibaleke. Kokunye wayecasha kodwa enze into yamehlo ekuphumeni kwakhe.”
Ngo-203BC, emva kweminyaka engu-15 ibambene e-Italy, uHannibal waphindela eCarthage eyovikela izwe lakhe emva kokuba lihlaselwe amasosha ayeholwa nguScipio Africanus.
Amasosha aseCarthage alwa ngokuzimisela kodwa agcina enqotshiwe.
U-Hannibal waya ekudingisweni. Wasebenza ngaphansi kwababusi abambalwa eMiddle East – kanti ungomunye wojenene bokuqala abasebenzisa indlela yokuhlasela ngamakhemikhali. Empini eyayibambene olwandle wahlasela isitha ngezinyoka ezazinobuthi!
Ekugcineni yazibulala le ndoda eyayisibuthaka ngokwempilo, eyachitha iminyaka engu-15 ibhekene namasosha
ayenamandla. [z]
BONA ZULU – September 2006
Isitha ema- sangweni
U-Hannibal
BONA ZULU – September 2006
